Most conventional bicycle racks consist of structures resting on the ground and provided with a frame defining at least one interstice for receiving the front wheel of a bicycle. The front wheel of the bicycle once inserted into this interstice is thus abuttingly supported preventing the bicycle from being laterally knocked down.
One of the major disadvantages associated with this type of structure is that they tend to damage the spoke components of the wheel. Indeed, the spokes of the wheel which are attached at one of their ends to the rim and at their other end to the axle protrude laterally from the rim. They are thus called upon to serve as an abbuting means for abutting the wheel against the structure defining the interstice into which it is inserted.
Since they are conventionnally made of a piece of relativelly thin wire tensionned between the rim and the axle, the spokes are not particularly well adapted to withstdand flexional stress. Consequently, when called upon to laterally support the weight of the bicycle by abbuting against the structure defining the interstice, they have a tendency to either get warped or to modify part of their tensionnal characteristics.
To circumvent this problem, various attempts have been made to design bicycle racks which support other parts of the bicycle. Some of these racks are specifically adapted to support the frame of the bicycle. However, this type of rack as proven to be quite bulky and relatively expensive to manufacture.
Other racks have been designed to connect with the handlebar section of the bicycle. Examples of such racks are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,329,088 granted to Charles F. Schram and Frank H. Schram in 1943 and Canadian patent 586,599 granted to George F. Loing in 1959. Some of the disadvantages associated with these racks include the fact that they are not particularly well adapted to accomodate the various shapes and sizes of bicycles now found on the market and are also not adapted to provide for efficient locking action.